Over the past several years, we've begun to unpack what might well be the last of Trinidad's lost Caroni Distillery, with the Caroni Paradise series.

As La Maison & Velier (LM&V) has told, after a beautiful decade-plus run of Caroni expressions being salvaged and presented in some incredible expressions that together tell the story of Caroni - both historical and through numerous amalgamations (who could forget the Demerara aged period!), the last remaining stocks of Caroni were transferred to Cognac, France in 2019, and have been since stored in glass demijohns, preserving them from any further ageing.

Since 2021, the demijohns have been gradually filled into handblown bottles (made by Massimo Lunardon in Italy in Velier's iconic muscular and broad shouldered bottle shape) for the Caroni Paradise series. The "Paradise" name pays homage to the tradition in which Cognacs are stored in dark cellars, known as Paradis, up until they are blended and bottled.

We're now into the third leg of the Caroni Paradise series, with 6 vintages from 1994 to 2000, and as follows in the series, each comes with a work of art by Trinidadian artist Che Lovelace.

Caroni 1996 Heavy Trinidad Rum Paradise #6

62.4% ABV, Single Cask #5619, Damejeanne #1, 115 Bottles

According to LMDW, this expression named A House in the Sun was aged first for 12 years in Trinidad and Tobago and then moved to Demerara Distillers in Guyana, before finishing its maturation in demijohns in Cognac from 2019. The flavour and aroma palette boasts impressive length and offers a series of strong images in which petrol and tropical fruits play a leading role. Remaining particularly expressive, it invites us to open a cigar box from which divinely woody and herbaceous aromas rise.

Official Tasting Notes 

Colour: Mahogany

Aroma: Rich, heady. Burnt cane, tar, pipe tobacco, iris butter, petrol, tropical fruits (mango, persimmon), rose petal and curry are all found on this extremely complex and concentrated aroma palette. Allowed to breathe, an apricot rancio and aromas of vetiver slowly fill the air.

Taste: Full-bodied, intense. Drawing out the nose, the flavour palette is refreshed with blood orange zest. Now oily (black olive) and smoky (fish), it gradually reveals chilli (Cayenne pepper), empyreumatic notes (sleet, fuel oil) and resin (Lebanese cedar). Deeply noble polish flavours arrive in the grand finale.

Finish: Long, concentrated. With perfect timing, tropical fruits (passion fruit, pineapple, kaffir lime) release their tangy juices across the palate. The tasting then develops fibrous (sugar cane), heady (carnation) and sappy (pine) registers. The retro-nasal olfaction brings both butyric and vanilla.

Caroni 1994 Heavy Trinidad Rum Paradise #7

58% ABV, Single Cask #6134, Damejeanne #1, 91 Bottles

This expression named Figure with Falling Water was aged first for 14 years in Trinidad and Tobago, then at Demerara Distillers in Guyana, and finally transferred in 2019 to demijohns in the Cognac region to finish its maturation. Revealing impressively intense notes of petrol right from the first nose, it is a majestic embodiment of the Caroni style. Noble wood and a delicately smooth profile then show this legendary rum in a particularly harmonious and complex light.

Official Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Orange Copper

Aroma: Rich, deep. Caroni’s trademark petrol notes (diesel, fuel oil) immediately fill the air. Setting the tone, this opening scene is accompanied by aromas of fruit (apricot, nectarine), spices (cinnamon, ginger) and florals (lilac, lavender). Allowed to breathe, gentle chocolate notes gradually appear. 

Taste: Lively, invigorating. The powdery (cocoa), liquorice (zan liquorice sweets) and empyreumatic (soot, burnt wood) flavour palette slowly develops balsamic (pine, cedar) and fibrous (sugar cane) tones. Incense paper, emery cloth and wood filler then bring huge nobility to the expression.

Finish: Long, silky. Still-present notes of fuel oil and diesel provide the foundation for a deeply moving tasting. Iris butter, Sichuan pepper and eucalyptus shape a retro-nasal olfaction that also brings roasted coffee notes, vegetal flavours and tar (pipe tobacco, asphalt).  

Caroni 1994 Heavy Trinidad Rum Paradise #8

58% ABV, Single Cask #6130, Damejeanne #1, 115 Bottles

The sister cask to the Caroni Paradise #7, this bottling named Climbing Figure Above Bathers was aged for 25 years in the tropical climate of Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana, before continuing its maturation in demijohns in Cognac. The astute flavour and aroma palette invites us to discover Caroni in a particularly elegant light. The rum’s intrinsic notes of petrol have been pushed deep into the background and almost abandoned in favour of the woody, medicinal, honey, rich and herbaceous sequences that have sculpted its complex personality.

Official Tasting Notes

Colour: Orange Copper

Aroma: Ethereal, subtle. The nose opens with vibrant aromas of new oak, orange zest and toasted walnut. Allowed to breathe, the aroma palette then becomes more medicinal (balm, elastoplast) and milky (coconut, almond). A handful of peppercorns add tone.

Taste: Rich, unctuous. For its part, the flavour palette reveals a very delicate texture (peach skin, banana peel) and notes of honey (lime blossom), vanilla and liquorice (stick). Gradually, flavours of rice powder and candied ginger seep deep into the taste buds.

Finish: Long, silky. The finish is much richer, introducing a delicious quince jelly, marmalade and Chelsea buns. Focusing on dried fruit and nuts (date, fig, chestnut), the retro-nasal olfaction shows both incredible maturity and fresh herbaceous notes of sage and chamomile. 

Caroni 1996 Heavy Trinidad Rum Paradise #9

68.9% ABV, Single Cask #3785, Damejeanne #1, 107 Bottles

This expression is named Man Descending Stairs Carrying Wings (To Become a Blue Devil) and was aged in Trinidad and Tobago until 2019 and then continued its maturation in demijohns in Cognac. Buttressed on a highly contrasted nose and palate, the flavour and aroma palette uses this dichotomy to showcase its complex and rich profile.

Official Tasting Notes

Colour: Orange Copper

Aroma: Refined, distinguished. The nose reveals apricot, medicine (arnica), candied fruit (pear, Mirabelle plum) and minerals (schist, lava) and immediately strikes a remarkable balance. Allowed to breathe, this pleasant feeling of fullness continues with aromas of iris butter, liquorice, chocolate and heather honey.

Taste: Smooth and lively. With more empyreumatic notes (sleet, petrol), the palate enthusiastically recreates a faithful representation of the heart of the nose. Over time, it becomes creamier (cane sugar). Now more tertiary (mushroom, creosote, dried leaves), the flavour palette then takes on superb autumnal shades.

Finish: Long, silky. Revealing intense spice (star anise, cinnamon, clove), liquorice and animal notes (bacon), the tasting becomes more powerful and develops noble herbaceous registers (Havana cigar), empyreumatic (petrol) and powdery ginger notes. The retro-nasal olfaction brings to mind a woodworker’s studio and allows glimpses of flfloating dust and precious woods (rosewood).

Caroni 1998 Heavy Trinidad Rum Paradise #10

70.2% ABV, Single Cask #3927, Damejeanne #1, 115 Bottles

This expression named Emerald and Sun Dancers was aged in Trinidad and Tobago until 2019 and then continued its maturation in demijohns in Cognac. Alternating between tropical, oriental, liquorice and spicy registers, the flavour and aroma palette is incredibly full and mature. Here and there, sleet aromas and petrol notes arrive like a ricochet to shake up the established order and bring back happy childhood memories.

Official Tasting Notes

Colour: Mahogany

Aroma: Rich, powerful. The aroma palette is wonderfully open, revealing tropical fruits (mango, guava), resin (pine), heady florals (iris butter) and chilli (Cayenne pepper). Allowed to breathe, ripe banana and pineapple add the finishing touches to this fruity feel. Slowly, a hint of sleet and varnish offer a more empyreumatic dimension.

Taste: Lively, fiery. Opening with petrol notes (oil), Caroni’s signature is immediately stamped on the flavour palette. A fine layer of liquorice and grated ginger then softly coats the sides of the palate, before oriental spices (turmeric, curry, ylang ylang) take over.

Finish: Long, silky. Now finding its fulcrum, the tasting develops more powdery registers (rice, ginger), with medicinal notes (arnica, ointment) and camphor. On the retro-nasal olfaction, very ripe banana, raisin and pipe tobacco form the perfect match.

Caroni 2000 Heavy Trinidad Rum Paradise #11

69.4% ABV, Single Cask #4059, Damejeanne #1, 107 Bottles

This expression named The Gun was aged in Trinidad and Tobago for 19 years and then transferred to Cognac on 12 April 2019 to continue its maturation in demijohns. The label depicts a figure combing the seabed in search of a lost object in a wonderful reflection of the incredible complexity of the flavour and aroma palette — which demands patience to tame. Deeply expressive, it bounds through lands of petrol, empyreumatic notes and game and is guaranteed to please fans of this rum from a bygone era that nonetheless reveals unmistakable modernity.

Official Tasting Notes

Colour: Orange Copper

Aroma: Concentrated, heady. The aroma palette reveals medicine notes (ointment, mustard grain), ash, terpene (glowing lava) and empyreumatic notes, and yet is also delicately fruity (mandarin). Allowed to breathe, fragrances of charcoal and incense paper intensify the otherworldly feel.

Tase: Taut, lively. An exact copy of the nose, the flavour palette starts out focused almost entirely on petrol (oil, fuel oil). Little by little, Turkish delight, date and pistachio bonbons add a more oriental aspect. Citrus fruit zest then brings refreshment (lemon, grapefruit).

Finish: Long, complex. Rich (ripe banana, roasted pineapple), telluric (oil deposits) and gamey (hare royale), the tasting slowly takes on herbaceous tones (coriander, oregano) and reveals honey (lime blossom) and jam (orange). On the retronasal olfaction, smoke from an elegant Havana cigar drifts through the air.

Kanpai!

88 Bamboo Editorial Team